In emergency operations occasioned by accidents, war or natural disasters, the injured or dead need to be transported by ambulances and paramedic units. Most typically, patients are transported from accident sites to medical care facilities by gurneys or other patient bearing structures. During such patient transfers, potentially infectious biological fluids, such as blood, urine, vomit and mucus, may soak into gurney mattresses or the like, thereby increasing susceptibility to infection for occupants, as well as for medical practitioners and facility personnel. Gurney mattresses can be difficult to disinfect.
To overcome the problem of contamination of gurneys and/or gurney mattresses, disposable draw sheets or “chux” are placed under the patient at a point where the bodily fluids may be deposited. However, in emergency and even non-emergency situations, it may be difficult to lift the patient to get the chux under the patient's body. Even if the chux is placed onto the mattress prior to occupancy of the patient, it is easy to shift the chux while placing the patient onto the mattress so that it is no longer in optimal position. Further, a restless patient may cause the chux to shift during transport. Either way, the chux may not be in an optimal position to collect bodily fluids, and contamination of the mattress personnel or facility may result.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,754 to Lazar et al. discloses a hospital sheet that has hook fasteners thereon to keep a draw sheet in place. The disadvantage this sheet presents is that the draw sheet must still be purposefully placed under the patient's body. If it is not aligned properly with the fasteners, it may still shift.
Accordingly, there is a need for a disposable sheet that has an absorbent region that cannot shift during use.